


I Would Walk 500 Miles

by RubiRose15



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Coming Out, Fluff, Trans Gou, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-03-17
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:54:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23182852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RubiRose15/pseuds/RubiRose15
Summary: Gou has trouble keeping up with Ash because of his breathing, and Ash wants to know why.May trigger dysphoria
Relationships: Gou & Satoshi | Ash Ketchum
Comments: 8
Kudos: 146





	I Would Walk 500 Miles

**Author's Note:**

> I,,,, wrote a fic??? Somehow??? It isn't necessarily relationship based but its t h e m.   
> I hope you enjoy it!

Sometimes, physical activity could be a little rough for Gou.

For one, he was never very physically fit in the first place. Your cardio doesn't tend to improve when you're on the computer all day. Nor does your muscle mass, your stamina, or your health in general. The years of hermit life left Gou very thin and weak. Recently though, he was at least able to bring some actual color to his skin, the cold hues slowly warming up in the sun. Still, he was very weak overall.

Gou may have had an easier time running along the trail of a local park with Ash if he didn't have something restricting his chest, and therefore, his ability to breathe. He always had to stop every minute or so to catch his breath, seriously slowing down their adventures. Despite that, would he go without a binder in public? Definitely not. Not yet, anyways.

“Need a break?” Ash called back, quite far ahead of Gou. The latter didn't even realize how far behind he was, already too slow to keep up. He nodded, letting himself fall onto a bench nearby. He always felt bad for holding Ash back from really letting out his energy. The boy had so much to spare, it probably hurt to keep calm so often. Ash took a seat next to Gou as Pikachu and Scorbunny continued running around the park together.

“Sorry I'm always sitting down,” Gou apologized, trying to control his breaths. Ash grinned and threw an arm around his friend.

“It's no big deal! I know most people have a hard time keeping up with me,” he said. “You probably keep up the best, honestly,”

“Really? How? I feel like I'm stopping every few seconds…” Gou muttered, tugging slightly at the collar of his shirt.

“Yeah, but then you're ready to shoot ahead with me again! Usually people just kinda start walking and watch me from a distance. You always end up right beside me!” Ash tightened his hold on the other boy, getting him to blush ever so slightly. Gou chuckled a little. 

“I’m glad I'm not being a burden, then.” 

“Aw, you could never be a burden to me, Gou!” Ash replied, finally letting go of him to face him directly. Gou smiled a little, looking down. 

“Thank you,” he said almost too softly for Ash to actually hear. Thankfully, he got the message. “I've always had trouble with running and such. I run out of breath too fast and start wheezing if I'm not careful.”

“Do you have… Uh, what's it called… Astigmatism!” Ash asked rather confidently. Gou stared at him incredulously for a moment before giggling

“I think you mean asthma, but I appreciate the effort.”

“That's what I said, right?”

“Sure,” Gou giggled again. “Anyways, no, I don't have asthma.” 

“Hm,” Ash leaned back onto the bench, deep in thought. Suddenly a lightbulb flashed over his head. “Oh! Maybe your clothes are too tight! You can borrow some of mine if you want, I think they'll be pretty big on you,” 

“Uh…” Gou paused, not really knowing how to respond to that. Something was tight on him for sure, but not his clothes. He made it a personal mission to only wear the baggiest clothing imaginable.

“Your clothes are pretty loose on you already though,” Ash murmured, vocalizing Gou’s thoughts. “I wonder what it could be…”

“Let's change the subject. It sure is a nice day outside, isn't it?” Gou said in a futile attempt to move away from the current conversation.

“Huh? Wait, but I'm worried about you!”

“What?”

“If you can't breathe, I don't want you to get hurt because I accidentally push your limits,” Ash explained, his eyes sparkling with empathy. 

Gou blinked in surprise, unsure of how to respond. He had planned on coming out to Ash eventually, but he was hoping to do so in the privacy of their dorm at the lab, not out in public. Though, with the flow of the conversation, he really had no other option, did he? Wringing his hands to calm his nerves, Gou took a deep breath and prepared himself.

“Ash, I'm wearing a binder,” 

“A binder?” 

“Yes, it constrains my chest so I, um, look more like a boy,” Gou mentally smacked himself. He made an entire coming out script and this was nowhere near what he was supposed to say.

“But…” Ash trailed off, obviously confused. “You're already a boy? Why would you wear a binder?”

“That's what I'm trying to tell you, Ash!” Gou almost laughed, half out of nervousness and half out of gender euphoria, which he didn't realize actually existed until that point. “I wasn't born as a boy. So I wear a binder and lower my voice and wear baggy clothes so I look like one. Because that’s what I know I’m supposed to be. It feels right.”

Ash stared at Gou for a long while, processing the information. The longer the silence, the closer Gou crept to hysteria as he wished he could've done this in the dorm instead. He didn't realize Ash was completely foreign to the concept. He figured Ash knew everything! However, looking back, Gou realized that statement was only applicable to anything related to battling and traveling.

“I think I get it,” he finally said right before his friend could pass out from the stress. “It's like there was a mishap, kinda? They gave you the wrong label so you fix it yourself?” 

“I-- yeah, that's… A pretty good explanation.”

“That’s so like you!” Ash exclaimed. Gou quirked an eyebrow, telling him to explain. “I mean, what is it you always said? Oh yeah, you took your fate into your own hands!” the raven haired boy toned down his energy just a little and reached out to hold Gou’s hand. With a gentle smile, he said; “That's very brave of you, y’know,”

Gou’s face immediately burst into flames at the straightforward praise. No one had ever put it that way before. Then tears began to prickle behind his eyes as he became overwhelmed with emotion.

“H-hey! I’m sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry!” Ash panicked, trying to wipe away the tears escaping from his friend’s eyes.

“No, I'm fine,” Gou sniffled, waving his hand in dismissal. “I'm just really happy.”

“Oh,” Ash let out a small laugh and awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. 

“Thank you for being understanding,” 

“It's no problem,” the boy shrugged nonchalantly. “I wanna make sure I understand it more, though. Can you teach me about it?” Gou huffed out a laugh of his own, wondering where he would even begin. Still, he answered rather confidently.

“Of course I will!”

**Author's Note:**

> Can you tell I don't know how to end fics? I could have characters speaking unnecessary dialogue forever lol.  
> Hope you enjoyed! Feel free to leave a comment if you'd like ^^


End file.
